There exist several technologies that can produce electricity on a premises, whether a residential or commercial building. Among these are photovoltaic panels (e.g., solar panels), small scale natural gas turbines (also known as micro-turbines), small-scale wind turbines (in contrast to the large turbines used in grid connected wind farms), low pressure water turbines, high-pressure low flow water turbines, and fuel cells using hydrogen, natural gas, and potentially other hydrocarbons. These technologies are herein referred to as “distributed energy sources.” Distributed energy sources have been deployed only to a very limited extent for reasons of cost, convenience, and a lack of harmonized grid inter-connection standards. Historically, power storage and supply devices typically involve the charging of batteries that store energy in the event of a power failure of a home or business' main source of electricity, which is normally provided from a utility power grid connected to the home or business and are designed to support the entire or selected electrical load of the home or business. As a result, residential and commercial power storage and supply devices are typically very large and cumbersome. Some power storage and supply devices use alternative energy sources, such as the ones listed above. The power storage and supply devices store the electric power produced by an alternative energy source and may even supply power to a utility power grid, in essence operating as a small, distributed power generation plant. Many local, state, and federal government agencies, as well as private utility companies, are encouraging this practice as evidenced by the changing regulatory environment and passage of such distributed power and energy storage policies as AB970, SB412, SB 14 and AB44. Further, rule makers such as FERC, CASIO, and the CPUC are making priority changes (e.g., CEC Integrated Energy Policy Report, CAISO implementation of FERC Order 719, etc.), which encourage or mandate the use of distributed energy storage and power generation. Unfortunately, the use of alternative energy sources in conjunction with such power storage and supply device systems has been limited primarily because of cost and convenience and communications standards.
In recent years, however, the costs associated with adopting and using alternative energy sources has decreased substantially as distributed energy power and storage technologies have been refined, sales have increased due to the creation of new markets (e.g., plug-in electric hybrid vehicles and the globalized adoption of solar technologies), and more suppliers have entered the market resulting in greater manufacturing capacity and market competitiveness for both photovoltaic and battery manufacturers. The cost barriers to distributed electrical technologies are also eroding due to factors such as real and/or perceived increases in the cost of electricity and other forms of energy, the widespread adoption of time-of-use pricing (TOU) or real-time pricing (RTP) by utilities, favorable terms for the utilities' purchase of power from such distributed sources, and government financial incentives (e.g., The federal business energy investment tax credit available under 26 USC §48 was expanded significantly by the Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008 (H.R. 1424), enacted in October 2008, etc.) which encourage investment in distributed and environmentally more benign electrical technologies.
Adoption of distributed energy power and storage technologies is also increasing due to the widespread implementation of an Advanced Metering Infrastructure; commonly referred to as AMI. Advanced metering systems are comprised of state-of-the-art electronic/digital hardware and software, which combine interval data measurement with continuously available remote communications. These systems enable measurement of detailed, time-based information and frequent collection and transmittal of such information to various parties. AMI typically refers to the full measurement and collection system that includes meters at the customer site, communication networks between the customer and a service provider, such as an electric, gas, or water utility, and data reception and management systems that make the information available to the service provider. With AMI utilities are now better able to manage installed devices within the homes of participating consumers that, under utility control, selectively disable energy-consuming devices (e.g., hot water heaters or air conditioning units) in response to peak loading conditions. Furthermore, utilities are now able in certain cases to remotely activate and aggregate distributed power and energy supplies to increase the supply of electricity to constrained parts of the electricity grid.
There has been an increasing emphasis in recent years on energy conservation. Electric utilities have also come under increasing pressure to reduce the need to fire up polluting power plants to serve peak demands, such as during hot summer days. With the enactment of current legislation and rulemaking (e.g., AB970, AB32, and FERC Order 719, etc.), electric utilities also have an incentive to “smooth out” energy demand to minimize the need to install new power transmission and distribution lines; further negating environmental and land use issues. Examples of a few of the ways in which utilities can perform these tasks are referred to as “demand side management” and “supply side management.” Demand side management refers to the selective reduction of energy demand in response to peak loading conditions. For example, utilities have for years installed devices in the homes of participating consumers that, under utility control, selectively disable energy-consuming devices (e.g., hot water heaters or air conditioning units) in response to peak loading conditions. As another example, utilities are able in certain cases to remotely activate energy supplies to increase the supply of electricity to parts of the electricity grid. It would be advantageous to provide more sophisticated control mechanisms to permit electric utilities and others to effectively monitor and control distributed energy resources, such as storage units capable of storing electricity and reselling it to the grid on command. It would also be advantageous to provide more sophisticated demand side management tasks using aggregated resources to manage localized constraints on the utility grid (e.g., substation, feeder-line, residence, etc.).
Conventional systems do not configure an energy management system that is placed in part behind the meter (e.g., between the meter and site loads) at a particular site, e.g. a user site, wherein the energy usage and generation at the site can be aggregated, pooled, and dispatched through multiple applications that can be delivered simultaneously to both the utility or grid operator and the site owner or customer. The unique combination of elements in the various embodiments disclosed herein, enable distributed, localized, aggregated, and virtualized control of energy for the electricity industry. The system can deliver power to utilities and energy consumers in ways that maximize avoided costs, ensure energy reliability, and accelerate the integration of renewable energies and electric vehicles.
The remaining barriers to market adoption of distributed power storage and supply devices are convenience. At present there are significant challenges to an individual's or building owner's installation of renewable energy technologies. In typical installations the component parts must be purchased from multiple vendors and integrated in a custom installation. Moreover, buying the component parts requires knowledge of the market for and the technical aspects of the different energy technologies, the construction required to install the technologies in accord with local codes, regulatory requirements, and guidelines imposed by homeowner's association and insurance companies. In addition, if the power generated in excess of requirements on the premise is to be resold, utilities impose additional requirements for connection of such systems to the utility's power grid. Another hindrance to implementing the use of distributed power storage and supply devices is that many local electricians do not yet know how to install the disparate components and frequently make errors in doing so, as much of this technology is new or not widely used. As a result of such errors and/or lack of know-how by the installer, the attendant wiring can be unattractive and intimidating to the buyer and lead to concerns and possibly actual issues regarding safety and reliability in addition to aesthetics. Further, the typical homeowner or business owner is not qualified or certified, and the associated expense too high, to provide adequate battery maintenance or battery replacement. This adds cost to the upkeep of any distributed power storage and supply devices.
The Sunverge Site Integration System (“SIS”) combines battery or other storage components in a storage appliance, power electronics, and generation into a highly-optimized appliance apparatus that is remotely managed and controlled by an energy cloud controller, software-as-a-service platform or may be controlled locally by a gateway controller resident in the appliance apparatus or gateway edge controller, depending on network configuration. Appliance apparatus can be deployed anywhere on the grid where needed. Each solar integration system is sized and engineered into a pre-designed apparatus of one or more appliances that may be mechanically coupled into a single site management system, according to the needs of the customer and the site, minimizing the need for expensive custom design of components from multiple vendors.
A software platform controls one or more solar integrated systems to form a site management system for real-time energy and information to the system. The software platform also aggregates systems together in a real-time network for the delivery of aggregated energy and information. Software services pool and dynamically scale energy resources across the grid upon demand. Multiple applications are delivered to multiple customer segments from this single platform. The Renewable Energy Cloud platform, in conjunction with the site management solar integration system enable utilities, energy consumers, and third parties to buy and sell energy each according to their interest. Customers are served by adopting a cloud-services delivery model for energy. Each Sunverge Site Integration System (“SIS”) unit provides power generation, power storage, and energy services (via a gateway controller and the Renewable Energy Cloud software platform, Sunverge Site Cloud) at the site where it is deployed. In the physical sense, energy services specific to the customer reside at the local deployment site but in a virtual aspect, the customer's energy services data are partitioned in a customer specific instance of the Sunverge Site Cloud. At the same time, reserve energy from each and every SIS unit under management is pooled in the cloud. From this virtualized pool, customers can reserve energy in advance, and can also request energy in real-time. Remaining available energy reserves, both to third-party aggregators and into open markets for ancillary services.
An energy management system with integrated solar and storage applicable to a home in certain aspects, but it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the energy management system is equally applicable to office buildings and other structures such as warehouses, manufacturing facilities, factories, small-businesses, storefronts, department stores, shopping centers, restaurants, malls, single family or one or more multi-family dwellings and the like. In one configuration, one or more alternate energy sources are connected to a power storage and supply device which is integrated into a pre-existing residential power system. The pre-existing residential power system is connected to a utility power grid, as is common with most residential homes. In another configuration of the system, the alternate energy sources are arrays of photovoltaic cells, which convert sunlight into electricity, which is then sent as DC (direct current) voltage to the power storage and supply device; more specifically, the charge controller.
The photovoltaic cells may be an array manufactured by exemplary manufactures such as BP Solar (a subsidiary of British Petroleum, p.l.c.), Kyocera, Corp., Shell Transport and Trading Company, p.l.c., or SolarWorld USA, and operating normally at 90 VDC with a maximum output capacity at 2.5 kWp. Those skilled in the art will recognize that other multi-voltages, output capacities, and photovoltaic array sizes are contemplated. Other photovoltaic cells produced by other manufacturers and operating at various currents, voltages, and power output capacities may also be used as alternate energy sources. Suitable forms of photovoltaic cells as well as other alternate energy sources (e.g., wind or water-based systems) may also be used. The power storage and supply device also includes energy storage modules such as batteries, fuel cells, or any other suitable type of independent energy storage medium as appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art.
Further, the power storage and supply device includes a charge controller; one or more energy storage modules; one or more inverters; a electromechanical isolation breaker; a local data processing gateway with data logging capabilities; a home area network (HAN); is Internet compatible; contains a web portal and optionally communicates through an advanced meter infrastructure (AMI), all of which are preferably connected to or contained therein with a single enclosed cabinet, such as the one discussed in more detail below. Furthermore, an Independent service operator and/or Utility Enterprise System may communicate with the energy storage and supply device via the internet user interface. In an embodiment of the present invention each array of photovoltaic cells (acting as the alternate energy source) has a dedicated charge controller, though it is recognized that the charge controllers can be configured in a number of ways appreciable by one of ordinary skill in the art. The charge controller routes the electricity generated by the alternate energy source to one or any number/size of the energy storage modules and the inverters. Alternatively, the charge controller may be controlled by another device, such as the local data processing gateway, which makes this determination. In an embodiment of the present invention, the inverter is a grid tied hybrid PV Schneider Electric XW4548-12/240-60, the charge controller is & Schneider Electric charge controller XW-MPPT60-150, but other suitable charge controllers and inverters may also be used.
Each energy storage model preferably contain a number of batteries, which in turn each contain a number of cells for storing the DC voltage being generated by the alternate energy sources and power from the utility power grid. In an embodiment of the present invention, each energy storage module includes one or more modules and make up what is referred to as a string. However, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate various amounts of cells may be included in a module, various amounts of modules may be included in a string and other allocations and configurations of energy storage devices may be utilized in accordance with the present invention. The batteries may be nickel metal hydride (NiMh), nickel-cadmium (NiCd), lithium (Li), lead, pure proton or any other suitable type of battery appreciable by one of ordinary skill in the art. However, other forms of energy storage other than batteries, such as capacitors and flywheels may also be used as energy storage modules.
The inverters separate the DC output voltage into time varying segments to produce an AC (alternating current) power signal, such as a 120/240 split-phase load current, which is typically the current supplied to a house. In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, one inverter is used hybrid PV Schneider Electric XW4548-12/240-60, but other suitable inverters can also be used.
The electromechanical isolation breaker preferably includes one or more automated switches for dynamically directing the AC power signal from the inverters to a desired load. For example, in the embodiment, the power storage and supply device may be configured to send and receive power from the alternate energy sources or to/from the utility power grid only.
The local data processing gateway monitors and controls most of the processes conducted by the power storage and supply device. The local data processing gateway is a computer-implemented device that may include, for example, one or more processors, a clock, memory, I/O interfaces, analog to digital converters, digital to analog converters, and operating system software. In addition, the local data processing gateway includes a number of software modules for implementing the functionality discussed below. The local data processing gateway can be configured to monitor and control the processes and measurements conducted by the power storage and supply device in either a local or remote mode configuration and can be aggregated by a third party (e.g., independent service operator, etc.) or utility for purposes of dispatching and controlling distributed power or stored energy.
For the communications within a residence or commercial site, the local data processing gateway can further aggregate, monitor and control the processes and measurements via the home area network associated with devices within the home using open standard communication methods at the transport, transport, application and object levels (e.g., ZigBee, HomePlug, Intranet, Web Services, XML-Based, SEP, MMS, and IEC 61850) for user process, measurement, control, and conservation of on premise power generated, the resale of power to a utility via the utility power grid 1516 or advanced meter infrastructure, power generated from energy storage modules, alternate energy sources and devices capable of energy management (HVAC Thermostats, water heaters, pool pumps, etc.) via the home are network or consumer web portal. Further, the local data processing gateway uses open standard communication methods at the transport, application, and object levels (e.g., Internet, GPRS, AMI Network, Web Services, XML-Based, DNP3, IEC 61850) for a utility, aggregator, or independent service operator to broadcast to a residence or commercial building site the processes and measurements relating to the control, management, and conservation of power generated on the premise, the resale of power to a utility, power generated from the energy storage modules and alternate energy sources.
The data collected by the utility console may be used to provide customers with on demand information regarding the consumer's energy usage. Via the SIS consumer web-portal utilities may enable individual customer to monitor electrical consumption, alternate energy sources and power storage devices, their estimated savings, and associated environmental impact. Access to the website can be limited to customer having power storage and supply devices. Statistics can be compiled and presented using a web-accessible local data processing gateway controller and Internet to the consumer or utility, visa-a-versus.
For example, a homeowner who wants to ensure that his or her batteries are fully charged before offering any excess capacity to the grid can select a mode via the consumer web portal that prevents diversion by a utility until such charging has been completed. The consumer web portal may reflect this fact by not showing capacity for such units until a future time-for example, an estimated time after which the batteries would be fully charged. If the consumer changes a mode setting, that potential capacity can be promptly reflected back to the utility enterprise system. A homeowner may also prevent the utility from reducing the thermostat beyond a certain point if a certain mode on the consumer web portal has been selected.
In certain arrangements, a computer implemented method including computer-usable readable storage medium having computer-readable program code embodied therein causes a computer system to perform a method of storing excess energy generated in an energy management device in an application platform for performing steps for securing one or more energy storage modules in an energy storage module enclosure that may be provided wherein the energy storage module enclosure is coupled to the inside of a Solar Energy Grid Integrated System with Energy Storage (SUNVERGE SITE SIS) Appliance, and the Solar Energy Grid Integrated System with Energy Storage comprises one or more hybrid inverter/converters, one or more data processing gateways, one or more charge controllers, one or more intelligent battery management systems, and one or more energy management devices in a compact footprint, in some cases suitable for a utility metering infrastructure location with a depth no deeper than what is allowed by an electric utility, to implement steps for connecting one or more energy storage modules to a SIS Site Integration System/Distributed Energy Resource Energy Storage (DER-ES) Apparatus isolation switch panel board, wherein the SIS (DER-ES) isolation switch panel board provides a common integration point for components coupled to the SIS Site Integration System/Distributed Energy Resource Energy Storage (DER-ES) Apparatus appliance; configuring, by the computer system, a local data processing gateway to monitor and control processes and measurements conducted by said energy management device; monitoring, by the computer system, the amount of power generated by one or more distributed energy sources; monitoring, by the computer system, the rate of power generated by the one or more distributed energy sources; controlling, by the computer system, the rate of power stored in said one or more energy storage modules; controlling, by the computer system, the amount of power stored in said one or more energy storage modules; monitoring, by the computer system, the health of one or more energy storage modules; and operating, by the computer system, one or more devices capable of energy management.
In other variations, a method for selling energy back to a utility power grid, comprises steps for providing one or more hybrid inverter/converters; providing one or more data processing gateways; providing one or more charge controllers; providing one or more intelligent battery management systems; providing one or more energy management devices in a compact footprint; defining price points of power obtained from a utility power grid at which a user will discharge energy stored in an energy storage module; defining a percentage of maximum capacity of stored energy in one or more energy storage modules that may be discharged in a single cycle; correlating said price points of power with said percentage of maximum capacity; configuring said price points and said percentage of maximum capacity into one or more sets of rules; calculating the amount of available energy storage capacity based upon the current or expected price of power; and implementing the one or more set of rules.
In another arrangement, a computer readable medium for selling energy back to a utility power grid, comprises program code for interfacing with one or more Solar Energy Grid Integrated Systems with Energy Storage, the one or more Solar Energy Grid Integrated Systems with Energy Storage comprising one or more hybrid inverter/converters, one or more data processing gateways, one or more charge controllers, one or more intelligent battery management systems, and one or more energy management devices in a compact footprint; program code for processing the one or more set of rules on an Intelligent Energy Storage Module Management System; program code for managing the one or more set of rules via a multiprotocol data processing communication gateway device communicably coupled to the Energy Storage Module Management System; program code for monitoring the one or more set of rules via a multiprotocol data processing communication gateway device communicably coupled to the Energy Storage Module Management System; and program code for modifying the one or more set of rules via a multiprotocol data processing communication gateway device communicably coupled to the Energy Storage Module Management System, said multiprotocol data processing communication gateway device further communicably coupled to a consumer web portal.
In another configuration, a system for selling energy back to a utility power grid comprises one or more hybrid inverter/converters coupled to an energy storage management system and charge controller module via a data processing gateway such that the data processing gateway implements one or more rule sets for selling energy back to a utility power grid to maximize the selling price of said energy; one or more data processing gateways receiving signals from the energy storage management system and charge controller and sending instructions via processor readable code to implement one or more algorithms; one or more charge controllers electrically coupled to the energy management storage management system to determine requirements for charging and discharging; one or more intelligent battery management systems; one or more energy management devices in a compact footprint not to exceed a depth to fit in a utility workspace in some embodiments and as small as 18″ in depth in some arrangements, but larger in other embodiments; one or more memories for storing data; one or more processors capable of executing processor readable code; one or more communications means to send and receive instructions from the data processing gateway, one or more hybrid inverter/converters, charge controllers, energy storage management system, and intelligent battery management system; one or more operating system software systems and related databases; one or more query processing modules; one or more aggregation engines; one or more execution engines; one or more reference generating modules; one or more user interfaces; and one or more algorithm rules.
In yet a further arrangement, a computer implemented method including computer usable readable storage medium having computer readable program code for causing a computer system to perform a method of selling energy back to a utility power grid by sending instructions to implement steps including interfacing, by the computer system, with one or more Solar Energy Grid Integrated Systems with Energy Storage, the one or more Solar Energy Grid Integrated Systems with Energy Storage comprising one or more hybrid inverter/converters, one or more data processing gateways, one or more charge controllers, one or more intelligent battery management systems, and one or more energy management devices in a compact footprint; defining, by the computer system, price points of power obtained from a utility power grid at which a user will discharge energy stored in an energy storage module; defining, by the computer system, a percentage of maximum capacity of stored energy in one or more energy storage modules that may be discharged in a single cycle; correlating, by the computer system, said price points of power with said percentage of maximum capacity; configuring, by the computer system, said price points and said percentage of maximum capacity into one or more sets of rules; and implementing, by the computer system, the one or more set of rules.
In a further apparatus configuration, a computer implemented apparatus for selling energy back to a utility power grid, is an apparatus that comprises a processor; an input device coupled to said processor; a memory coupled to said processor; an output device; and an execution engine including a method for peak shaving to implement steps for interfacing with one or more Solar Energy Grid integrated Systems with Energy Storage, the one or more Solar Energy Grid Integrated Systems with Energy Storage comprising one or more hybrid inverter/converters, one or more data processing gateways, one or more charge controllers, one or more intelligent battery management systems, and one or more energy management devices in a compact footprint; defining price points of power obtained from a utility power grid at which a user will discharge energy stored in an energy storage module; defining a percentage of maximum capacity of stored energy in one or more energy storage modules that may be discharged in a single cycle; correlating said price points of power with said percentage of maximum capacity; configuring said price points and said percentage of maximum capacity into one or more sets of rules; and implementing the one or more set of rules.
In another variation of method sets, steps for peak load reduction and energy shaving may be provided, whereby the SIS may reduce incremental transmission and distribution investments for a utility or an independent service operator. For example, the SIS may help relieve localized distribution issues by identifying an overstressed substation or feeder line. Deploying units to 5% of the affected areas may substantially increase reliability of the network. By controlling which loads reconnect to the grid, the utility can stagger the reconnecting loads after brief and extended outages to aSISt with outage recovery management. In addition, units with energy storage capacity can be instructed to discharge immediately after reconnecting the grid to less the impact of loads reconnecting.
Another aspect of one or more of the previous arrangements relates generally to a system for distributed energy storage and power management, and more particularly to a fully integrated system, method, and device for the controlling, monitoring, measuring, and conserving of distributed power generated on the premise, the resale of distributed power to a utility, and power generated from distributed energy storage (e.g., batteries) and other distributed renewable energy sources (e.g., solar panels, wind turbines, renewable energy generation sources, etc.). Moreover, the invention is minimally invasive, modular, and retains power-generating capacity, which is combined with load management and energy storage to provide energy at or near the point of consumption that can be aggregated with other renewable energy integrated systems to form an energy cloud via a centralized software-as-a-service.
Systems and methods for distributed energy services management are also disclosed. An edge gateway system includes a programming platform or environment for receiving command and control data and configuration data from a variety of sources and for dynamically controlling actions and state in a plurality of physical devices connected to the platform via a data communications interface. In a particular embodiment, the data communications interface can be implemented as a Controller Area Network (CAN) bus, Web services, ModBus, or other conventional data communications interface and/or protocol.
In certain aspects, an ecosystem includes a distributed energy storage system (DESS), which includes a site gateway. The DESS represents a system, such as the distributed energy storage and power management system disclosed in the above-referenced previously filed U.S. patent application. In particular, the DESS includes energy storage components module, an inverter, and a charge controller. The gateway can include a system controller. The energy storage components module of DESS represents a battery system for electrical energy storage in some applications but other energy storage components are contemplated in other designs. In one aspect, lithium-ion batteries plus a battery management system may be used. The inverter and charge controller of a DESS can be conventional units, such as the Schneider XW model or other similar equipment. The system controller of the gateway can represent, for example, a standard Linux or proprietary code server that has been extended with a custom input/output (I/O) controller board that allows multiple smart energy components to be plugged in or otherwise electrically connected. One such smart energy component is a CT Sensor system that monitors site energy demand in real-time. The multiple smart energy components can use data communication technologies and protocols, such as WiFi, cellular, Zigbee, etc. Plugging in multiple communication technologies allows each component to integrate and control other distributed energy resources (e.g. electric vehicles, batteries, or other loads) at the site. The DESS components (e.g., the energy storage module, the inverter, and the charge controller) and the gateway (e.g., the system controller) can all be connected via a CAN (Controller Area Network) Bus network or other well-known data communication technologies. Direct integrations with both the inverter/charge controller and the energy storage module give the gateway fine-grained control over those components. The inverter/charge controller and the energy storage module are wired on a common DC bus within the DESS. This enables direct control of energy generation that can be both stored in the batteries (directly as DC, without the efficiency loss of converting to AC) and converted to AC and dispatched to the grid. In certain aspects, the DESS may be designed for ease of installation. Energy generation systems (e.g., solar arrays or other renewable energy generation devices) can be connected to the DESS through a single or multiple DC inputs. The energy grid can be connected to the DESS through a single or multiple AC inputs. This configuration reduces the costs and complexity of the installation process, even in comparison to the installation of a traditional energy generation system.
In other various aspects, an ecosystem includes the site gateway within the DESS. In other aspects, the site gateway can be housed separately from the DES S. The site gateway provides power and energy services at the site where it is deployed. At the same time, reserve energy from the site where the site gateway is deployed and may be pooled in the network cloud. From this ‘virtualized’ energy pool, customers can reserve energy in advance, and can also request energy in real-time. Operators within the ecosystem can bid any remaining available energy reserves, both to third-party aggregators and into open markets for ancillary services. The site gateway of an example embodiment provides cloud energy services that are constantly working to balance demands by shifting resources to where they are needed most and to optimize how energy is captured and delivered. The ecosystem in certain designs, enables utilities, energy consumers, and third parties to buy and sell energy each according to their unique economic interest. In other aspects, the ecosystem delivers multiple energy services on demand to multiple customers in real time. The site gateway of an example embodiment and its cloud-resident services provider, the site management system, are described in more detail below.
In other various configurations, the site gateway can operate in concert with a site management system, which is accessible to the site gateway via the network cloud. The site gateway is designed to be flexible, and to provide interoperability across and within various technologies and protocols. As described in more detail below, the site gateway automatically discovers local devices, and virtualizes those devices without the use of agents. This configuration lowers the cost and complexity of integrating with other components within the ecosystem. In other aspects, the site gateway is integrated with the DESS. This integration enables the site gateway to directly monitor and control the inverter/charge controller and the energy storage module of the DESS. The combination of the site gateway and the DESS provides a site resident energy management system that is empowered to make intelligent decisions at the local (site) level, yet is controllable via devices through the network cloud as described in more detail below.
A site management system may also be designed as flexible and scalable from the ground up. The site management system may variously provide a base set of services, including: 1) remote management and upgrades of local software running in each site gateway. System health is monitored, and adverse events are captured and reported; 2) remote monitoring of the operational state of the components (physical devices) at the site, and remote metering of the power flows and stored energy at each site. Each site gateway reports its complete set of operational data to the site management system at periodic intervals (e.g., every four seconds, a setting that can be configured); 3) fine-grained control of the charge and dispatch of power at each site. The site gateway receives commands from the site management system at periodic intervals (e.g., every 500 milliseconds, a setting that can be configured) utilizing a pull model; 4) scheduled control of charge and dispatch based on time of day and state of charge in the battery. These site management system services allow the ecosystem to aggregate the power and energy capacity in each and every site gateway at a variety of sites in a distributed community.
The services provided by the site management system and the site gateway enable the ecosystem to maximize the value of each unit of energy dispatched from each site gateway by means of intelligent decision-making at the local (site) level. Unlike conventional centrally-controlled systems, the site management system can delegate many of these intelligent decision-making responsibilities and related site-specific policy implementations to the site gateway. The site gateway can use its own local resources to implement many of the decisions, services, and policies for managing energy consumption and generation both locally and in the ecosystem based upon at least the following inputs: the current cost of energy; the efficiency of internal components (the inverter, the charge controller, the battery, etc.); maximum and minimum charge and discharge rates; energy reserved by other applications; available battery capacity; the marginal cost of each battery cycle, which can change over time and is a complex calculation; load and generation profiles unique to each site; energy demand tariffs at the site; current and forecast weather conditions; historical analysis, predictive modeling, and real-time networked awareness of the entire system; retail and wholesale prices for energy; values for delivery of specific applications such as Demand Response, Regulation, or Power Quality (Volt/VAR); flexible integration of data from multiple channels: direct metered sensor input, utilities and third party systems, integrations with partner applications; and data for capacity pooling, scheduling, and bidding to automate the market interfaces for the site management system services.
In certain aspects, a consumer user interface is provided as a site resource to enable a user to interact with the consumer user interface at the site via a consumer portal and the network. The consumer portal provides a web-enabled presence for monitoring or controlling operational parameters at the site from a consumer device via the network.
In certain various implementations of a platform system, much of the energy management intelligence (in the form of various applications and services) is maintained at the site management system. In other configurations, the site management system may be configured as a central controller for managing a plurality of site gateways. Although the central control architecture may be suitable in some circumstances, many other situations require a more distributed decision-making capability. In some designs, much of the energy management intelligence (in the form of various applications and services) is maintained at the site gateway as a site resident system. In a more distributed architecture, the site management system can push much of the software and rule logic implementing the various applications and services to the site gateway for execution locally at the site. In this distributed system architecture, the site management system acts more as a monitor and command dispatcher, rather than a central controller. Other alternative system architectures can also be implemented wherein the software and rule logic implementing the various applications and services can be split between the site management system and the site gateway. In this alternative system architecture, the site management system implements a portion of each application or service and the site gateway implements the remaining portion of each application or service.
In other aspects, a site gateway, in combination with a site management system, provides a set of Smart Grid applications on top of a software platform. As described generally, these Smart Grid applications can be implemented primarily on a site management system or implemented primarily on a site gateway in other configurations. In other various aspects, these Smart Grid applications may include: Peak Load Shifting, Demand Response, Frequency Regulation, Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) Management, Voltage Support and Optimization, Analytics, Demand Charge Reduction, Regulation, Photovoltaic (PV) Smoothing, Reliability, and a variety of other applications. These applications are described in more detail herein. In a particular embodiment, each application can be delivered as a software-as-a-service (SAAS). Each application integrates with utility and third-party systems by means of open, web-based standards, such as Extended Markup-Language (XML) and Web Services and one or more DER-ES apparatus that function as site integration systems. Additionally, all of the monitoring, control, and reporting functions available in the platform can be exposed as a web-services application programming interface (API) available either or both at the site management system and at the site gateway locations. This system configuration has at least two advantages: first, the system configuration provides flexibility and agility to integrate with the broadest possible range of external applications and systems. Secondly, the system configuration allows partners (and customers) to build their own services and applications on top of the platform provided by the various embodiments described herein. Moreover, application-specific protocols, such as OpenADR and DNP3, can be quickly built into platform applications and exposed through one or more platform API's. Additionally, application end-user interfaces can be delivered over conventional Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTP) and can be viewed on any web-enabled device.
The Smart Grid applications provided by the site management system and the site gateway are deployed to solve real-world problems and deliver value streams to at least two sets of parties: 1) load-serving entities such as utilities, and 2) energy consumers, such as businesses and residential homeowners. Note that one of the advantages of the various embodiments described herein is that multiple applications can be delivered to multiple parties out of the same system. In practice, therefore, deployments of site integration systems and distributed energy storage systems will likely combine two or more applications during standard operations.
The Smart Grid applications can be divided into three categories: 1) applications that generally benefit load-serving entities, 2) applications that generally benefit energy consumers, and 3) applications that generally benefit both sets of parties. The Smart Grid applications listed above are described in more detail below in the context of the benefits provided by the particular applications. For example, applications that generally benefit load-serving entities include the following:
Demand Response. The system responds to Demand Response events with guaranteed dispatch of power to the grid. In cooperation with a Demand-Response Management System (DRMS), site resident systems (e.g., a DESS including a site gateway) can be aggregated as capacity, and that capacity can be dispatched by schedule or real-time command on a per need basis.
Ancillary Services. Through the network cloud, systems are connected to a regional independent service operator (ISO), and the site resident systems respond to regulation signals on a per-second basis. Requests for frequency regulation or up/down ramping are translated into precise charge and dispatch commands by the site gateway.
Voltage optimization. Site resident systems respond to needs for voltage and reactive power control by injecting or absorbing power at the place where it is needed most: nearest to the load. This is one example of why the distributed architecture described above can be so beneficial in managing energy at the local level. Moreover, aggregated systems act as a fleet to provide orchestrated voltage optimization on a given circuit or feeder.
Renewable Generation Smoothing/Firming. Co-location and integration with renewable generation sources—solar, wind, or other—gives site resident systems direct control over the energy produced. By supplementing the intermittent nature of renewable generation with the stored energy in its battery, each site resident system can smooth the energy provided to the grid, making the site and the grid more reliable, more predictable, and more stable. In turn, the negative effects of this intermittency on the grid—thermal overload, voltage swings, and increased emissions due to increase regulation demand—are entirely avoided.
The applications that generally benefit energy consuming entities include the following: Uninterruptible Power Supply. In the event of a loss of power, the site resident system can automatically isolate itself from the grid, and then deliver its own power to the site without any interruption in service or loss in power quality. Site resident systems can be wired to directly support priority loads, thereby providing energy reliability for critical services (e.g., heating, cooling, electronics, etc.).
The applications that generally benefit both load-serving entities and energy consuming entities include the following: Peak Load Reduction, Electric Vehicle Charging Management, Demand Charge Reduction, and Analytics.
Peak Load Reduction. Site resident systems can time-shift energy generated from renewable energy generators and/or drawn from the grid to maximize peak load reduction for a home or business. Through the intelligent processes provided by the various embodiments described herein, over time the system can learn about the specific features and characteristics of the site (e.g., weather patterns, load profiles, etc.) and can make adjustments on its own. If the residence or business is on a time-of-use rate, the system will know how to minimize the cost of energy for that customer by charging batteries when prices are low and dispatching energy when prices are high.
Electric vehicle (EV) Charging Management. Co-Located at the particular site with EV charging stations, the site resident system can dispatch energy to offset demand spikes while EVs are charging, acting as a buffer to the grid. With direct integration to the EV charging platform, the site resident system can determine the optimum charge time while minimizing the cost of electricity to the site. An additional hardware component can enable EV “fast charging” by plugging in directly to the battery within the DESS 116, thereby reducing the total charge time from hours to minutes.
Demand Charge Reduction. For commercial customers that are subject to demand charges, wherein costs are pegged to the maximum amount of power consumption on a monthly basis, the site resident system can monitor real-time demand and dispatch power to ensure the site load does not exceed the specified thresholds.
Analytics. Each site resident system can serve as a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) or sensing node for its site location. Discrete and aggregated data delivered to utilities and grid operators can be used to aSISt with optimizing the operation of the grid to minimize power losses and maximize efficiency and quality across such areas as outage management, system modeling, power quality optimization, advanced distribution management, and other real-time applications. Data delivered to energy consumers show system performance, efficiency, and energy savings.
The site management system or the site gateway can support a set of services on the software platform. In a particular embodiment, these services can include: remote command and control, scheduling, visualization, aggregation, remote management, monitoring, and reporting. The site gateway can include additional services, such as: power control, energy control, system monitoring, command processing, device virtualization, protocol translation, and other services. These additional services can also be provided at the site gateway in the distributed system architecture discussed above. The software environment in which these applications and services are executed on the site gateway is described in more detail below.
The applications and services provided on the site management system and the site gateway may represent an energy management system. This energy management system has some powerful capabilities. For example, the energy management system can monitor the operation of the power electronics inside of each DESS and its corresponding site gateway to ensure the energy system at a particular site is running smoothly. Secondly, the energy management system can report on the power and energy being used and/or generated at the particular site. The reporting can include information indicative of: how much power the renewable power generators are generating, how much energy is stored in each battery, how much power is being provided to the grid and to the loads at the site. This reporting happens in real-time and can be viewed on any network-connected information or communication device from any place in the world. The energy management system can also control the operation of each DESS and its corresponding site gateway, also in real-time. If one unit needs to charge, the energy management system can command that unit to charge. If five units on a certain circuit need to discharge, the energy management system can command those units to discharge. The energy management system of an example embodiment can mix and match these commands in any order, for any combination of devices installed throughout locations on the grid. The energy management system runs a value-optimizing process that makes charge and discharge decisions, for each unit and across multiple units, which exploit the cost and price of energy in and out of the system. The energy management system integrates with existing utility and partner applications and systems by means of open and flexible web services protocols. These remote control capabilities enable the system to have an immediate and powerful impact on the grid. As the number of distributed DESS and corresponding site gateway systems grow, so does the aggregated potential of the entire system.
The Smart Grid applications and services provided by the site management system and the site gateway as described above are deployed to manage energy usage and value given a number of factors in the operating environment. These factors can include the following:
Costs and constraints. The current cost of energy, whether from the grid or from other generation sources, is a starting point. Constraints such as the efficiency of internal components (e.g., the inverter, the charge controller, the battery, etc.), maximum and minimum charge and discharge rates, energy reserved by other applications, and available battery capacity are also factored. Most importantly, the marginal cost of each battery cycle is calculated. Given that battery cycle life changes over time under the influence of usage scenarios and environmental factors, this calculation is complex, yet is required in order to extract the maximum economic value of each cycle throughout the overall life of the battery.
Optimizing factors. Load and generation profiles are each uniquely associated to a specific location. Understanding of the dynamics of these two profiles, combined with the energy tariff at the site (e.g., the variable rates of energy and demand charges levied by the energy provider), determines the exact times when dispatched energy has the most potential value. Historical analysis, predictive modeling, and real-time networked awareness of the entire system contribute to this dynamic understanding.
Prices. Retail and wholesale prices represent the current market value for energy. Values for delivery of specific applications such as Demand Response, Regulation, or Power Quality (Volt/VAR), either drawn from the open market or through negotiated contracts with purchasers, can also be available and represent the highest price paid for energy dispatch. The site resident systems can receive these inputs from multiple channels, direct metered sensor input, process data from utilities and third parties, and integrate with partner applications to configure the operation of a particular site at a particular time depending on the specifics of the site deployment and the current market conditions.
The Smart Grid applications and services provided by the various embodiments described herein can perform a detailed analysis of these and other factors to determine: when, how much, how long, and to or from which resources the site resident system should charge or dispatch energy. The result is that the value of each unit of energy dispatched is maximized, ensuring the maximum possible return on investment over time. In particular, the various embodiments provide several advantages over existing systems. These advantages include the following:
Optimization. The various embodiments enable a user to size and scale the battery, inverter, and power generation system according to the needs of the site in a utility-grade form-factor.
Localization. The site resident system units are strategically placed at the site on the grid where power and energy are most needed.
Aggregation. The capacity of multiple site resident system units is combined and managed as one resource to provide grid-scale impact.
Automation. The software platform in an example embodiment maximizes the value of energy and power services by intelligent and automated charge and dispatch.
Virtualization. The various embodiments can pool available battery capacity into energy resources that can be reserved, allocated, and scaled to meet demand.
Integration. Applications and data are delivered over the web and integrated with external systems by means of open standards.
In other various aspects, the input received by a site gateway of a DESS in some configurations, the site resident system, including site gateway, is an important part of the ecosystem for supporting the applications and services described above. In support of these applications and services, the site gateway may be configured to receive and process command and control, management and configuration data from a variety of sources via the network cloud. In some aspects, these command and control, management and configuration data sources can include the site management system, the DRMS, and third party sources, such as energy monitoring or control systems using browsers or mobile devices. Each of these command and control, management and configuration data sources may need to monitor or control the operation of the energy consumption or generation at a particular site. The DESS and its corresponding site gateway, located at the site, are needed to provide this site-resident support for effecting the monitoring and control commands sent by any of the network-resident command/control and configuration data sources. As described in more detail below, each of these command/control and configuration data commands are received and processed by the site gateway in cooperation with the corresponding DESS.
In other configurations, the DRMS and the third party sources can issue command and control, management and configuration data commands for a particular site via the site management system. The site management system can use a command queue to store and marshal the commands for a particular site and forward the commands to the site gateway at the particular site.
In certain aspects, at periodic intervals (e.g., every four seconds, the interval being a configurable parameter), the site gateway at each site gathers configuration and status data for each of the energy devices at the site. This configuration and status data can be used internally by the site gateway to generate trending data, to assess the operation of the energy devices at the site, to compare the energy consumption and generation at the site with desired thresholds, and to produce a new command set for driving the energy consumption and generation at the site toward desired thresholds. In this manner, the site or device status report provides a feedback loop for enabling the site gateway to manage energy consumption and generation at the local level. In addition, the site gateway can generate a site or device status report that can be sent to the site management system via the network cloud. The site management system can use the site or device status report from each site to generate aggregated trending data, to assess the operation of the energy devices at a community of sites, to compare the energy consumption and generation at the community of sites with desired thresholds, and to produce new command sets for driving the energy consumption and generation at particular sites toward desired thresholds. In this manner, the site or device status report provides a feedback loop for conveying site status to the site management system. In response to this feedback, the site management system may issue a new set of command and control, management and configuration data commands to the site gateway at the site. Note also that the feedback received by the site management system from the site via the site or device status report may include a new site device configuration or status driven by commands issued by the DRMS or third party sources. In this manner, the site management system can monitor the operation of the site as controlled by a third party command source. Thus, in a variety of ways and from a variety of sources, the site gateway can receive command and control, management and configuration data command sets via the network. The processing of these command sets at the site gateway is described next.
In some aspects, the internal processing structure of a site gateway includes a programming platform or environment for receiving command and control data and configuration data commands from a variety of sources and for dynamically controlling actions and state in a plurality of physical devices at a particular site and connected to the platform via a data communications interface. In some configurations, the data communications interface connecting one or more physical devices to the site gateway can be implemented as a Controller Area Network (CAN) bus, Web services, ModBus, or other conventional data communications interface and/or protocol.
The site gateway in some configurations can process the received command sets in at least two different ways or using at least two different processing paths. In a first processing path, the site gateway can use one or more executor modules of a set of executor modules running at a command virtualization layer to activate one or more virtual device(s) at a device virtualization layer. The activated virtual device(s) can control corresponding physical devices. In a second processing path, the site gateway can use one or more executor modules of the set of executor modules running at the command virtualization layer to activate one of a plurality of programs or platform application (apps). The programs can each implement a mode or policy in the set of virtual devices at the device virtualization layer. The activated program can then activate the one or more virtual device(s), which can control corresponding physical devices.
In the first processing path described above, a set of command channels is provided on the site gateway platform to receive command and control, management and configuration data command sets from third party command sources via the network. The command sets contain commands for driving modes, actions, and device state in one or more physical devices represented by a plurality of corresponding virtual device modules or virtual devices. The command channels can provide an input port for commands in a particular format or protocol. As such, in some aspects, different command channels can handle different formats or protocols. One or more command channels are processed by one or more command translators or command drivers that convert the various formats or protocols to a virtualized command in a common command format. The common command format can be used by one or more executor modules of a set of executor modules running at the command virtualization layer. The executor modules, operating in response to an input command, can cause execution of one or more virtual device(s) at the device virtualization layer. The one or more virtual device(s) at the device virtualization layer correspond to the physical devices at the particular site under control of the site gateway. Thus, commands that are received by the site gateway can be processed by the platform of site gateway to cause the execution of one or more virtual devices at the device virtualization layer to drive a corresponding physical device to a desired state, to query the state of a corresponding physical device, or to set configuration parameters in a corresponding physical device. In some configurations, there can be multiple executor modules at the command virtualization layer. The executor modules are typically command specific; however, a single command can be handled by multiple executor modules.
In other aspects, the virtual devices at the device virtualization layer can use corresponding device drivers and a physical device layer to translate common format commands to control signals for driving a particular type of physical device to a desired state. The virtual device can also collect status information from the physical device via corresponding device drivers for transfer to the network cloud as part of a site or device report as described above. The virtual device(s) can communicate with the corresponding physical devices via the physical device layer and a data communications interface (e.g., the CAN bus, Web service, ModBus, or equivalent). In a particular embodiment, each virtual device at the device virtualization layer can execute other virtual devices. As a result, the set of virtual devices at the device virtualization layer can be executed in a hierarchical fashion.
In other aspects of a second processing path as described above, the set of command channels is provided on the site gateway platform to receive command and control, management and configuration data command sets from third party command sources via the network. As described above, one or more command channels are processed by one or more command translators or command drivers that convert the various formats or protocols to a virtualized command in a common command format. The common command format can be used by one or more executor modules of a set of executor modules running at the command virtualization layer. The executor modules, operating in response to an input command, can cause execution of one or more programs or platform application (apps). In other various aspects of the platform of site gateway, configurations may include a plurality of programs or platform application (apps), which are installable and configurable on the platform of a site gateway. The programs can each implement a mode or policy in the set of virtual devices at the device virtualization layer. Programs can interact directly with the virtual devices. Each program can cause one or more corresponding virtual device(s) to implement the corresponding mode. The execution of a particular executor module in response to an input command can trigger the activation of a corresponding program. Similarly, the activation of a virtual device can trigger the activation of a corresponding program. The activation or deactivation of particular programs can also be configured to occur on a periodic, timed, or scheduled basis. As a result, programs can be used on the platform to implement particular modes or policies in one or more virtual devices. The programs can each be assigned a configurable unique priority relative to other programs. As a result, an action by a lower priority program can be pre-empted by a higher priority program. In general, however, one or more programs is scheduled for execution in priority order. By providing a prioritized set of programs on the platform, some configurations can conveniently and dynamically change the operation of the energy management system at the site gateway. For example, particular programs can be used to configure the physical devices to operate in an energy-conserving manner during a time when grid power costs are high. When grid power costs decrease below a configured threshold, a new set of programs can be dynamically activated to configure the physical devices to operate in an energy-storage or energy-generation mode.
In addition, in other aspects, each program can also be associated with a particular external entity, or a combination thereof. For example, a program can be associated with a consumer, a site owner, a unit operator, a utility, a component supplier, or other external entity or a combination thereof. As a result, the set of programs operating on the platform of site gateway, and the collective operational activity of these programs, can be grouped by the associated external entities. Thus, modes or policies can be applied to the operation of the physical devices based on an associated external entity.
Each program can implement a mode or policy in the set of virtual devices using any of a variety of available program models. For example, one or more available program models can include: an override process, a sequence, a timeline, a schedule, or other program model. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many other program models can be provided and used. In an example embodiment, the override process sends control commands to the corresponding set of virtual devices for commanding the virtual devices to transition immediately to the specified state. The sequence process initiates a serial set of actions based on a relative time from an initial starting point in time. The set of actions include commanding the virtual devices to transition to specified states. The timeline process initiates a set of actions based on a clock/calendar time. The schedule process can include a rules engine for executing a set of conditional actions based on the state of the platform and the virtual devices at the time of execution. Each program can obtain information on the configuration and actions of other programs on the platform. As a result, overlapping, duplicative, or conflicting actions can be avoided.
Each virtual device can report state parameters, operational history, errors, configuration parameters, and the like to the site gateway and the site management system via the device or status report and the network cloud. The data from each virtual device can be aggregated in the device/status report, which can be delivered or requested periodically (e.g., every five minutes) from the site gateway platform. The site gateway and the site management system can include a user interface (UI) to interact with authorized users who can manipulate the configuration of virtual devices and/or programs on the site gateway via the user interface. Alternatively, a network-accessible consumer portal can be provided and used with a consumer user interface or mobile device to enable authorized users to manipulate the configuration of virtual devices and/or programs on the site gateway. The site management system can also include an application programming interface (API) server to receive API requests from other network systems. The commands received from the UI or the API can be queued in a server command queue. The site management system can deliver commands to the site gateway platform via the command input mechanism described above. The site management system can also update the data shown via the UI based on current data received from the site gateway platform in the site or device reports.
In an alternative example of a distributed energy services management system, a host site includes the site management system as described above. In a particular configuration, the host site may also include a web server having a web interface with which users may interact with the host site via a user interface or web interface. The host site may also include an application programming interface (API) with which the host site may interact with other network entities on a programmatic or automated data transfer level. The API and web interface may be configured to interact with the site management system either directly or via an interface. The site management system may also be configured to access and use a data storage device either directly or via the interface.
In an another example, the system of one embodiment is configured to: receive a command stream from a network-based energy management system; perform command virtualization on the received command stream; identify one or more devices corresponding to the virtualized command stream; activate one or more platform apps (e.g., programs) corresponding to the identified devices; and use the one or more platform apps (e.g., programs) to virtualize the identified devices, to identify corresponding device drivers, and to configure physical devices corresponding to the virtualized devices.
In certain aspects, a machine in the example form of a computer system within which a set of instructions when executed may cause the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. In alternative embodiments, the machine operates as a standalone device or may be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networked deployment, the machine may operate in the capacity of a server or a client machine in server-client network environment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment. The machine may be a personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a set-top box (STB), a Personal Digital ASIStant (PDA), a cellular telephone, a web appliance, a Home Network consumer appliance with an embedded logic on a chip or software, or any such device implemented via the Internet-of-Things technology (IoT), a network router, switch or bridge, or any machine capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. Further, while only a single machine is illustrated, the term “machine” can also be taken to include any collection of machines that individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein.
An exemplary computer system may include a data processor (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or both), a main memory and a static memory, which communicate with each other via a bus. The computer system may further include a video display unit (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a cathode ray tube (CRT)). The computer system may also include one or more input devices (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor control device (e.g., a mouse), a disk drive unit, a signal generation device (e.g., a speaker) and a network interface device.
An exemplary disk drive unit may include a non-transitory machine-readable medium on which is stored one or more sets of instructions (e.g., software) embodying any one or more of the methodologies or functions described herein. The instructions may also reside, completely or at least partially, within the main memory, the static memory, and/or within the processor during execution thereof by the computer system. The main memory and the processor also may constitute machine-readable media. The instructions may further be transmitted or received over a network via the network interface device. While the machine-readable medium is shown in an example embodiment to be a single medium, the term “machine-readable medium” should be taken to include a single non-transitory medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches and servers) that store the one or more sets of instructions. The term “machine-readable medium” can also be taken to include any non-transitory medium that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying a set of instructions for execution by the machine and that cause the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies of the various embodiments, or that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying data structures utilized by or associated with such a set of instructions. The term “machine-readable medium” can accordingly be taken to include, but not be limited to, solid-state memories, optical media, and magnetic media.
In certain aspects of one or more configurations, a set of command channels is provided on an Energy Cloud software platform to receive commands for driving modes, actions, and device state in one or more physical devices represented by a plurality of corresponding virtual device modules or virtual devices. The command channels can provide an input port for commands in a particular format or protocol. Different command channels can handle different formats or protocols. One or more command channels are processed by one or more command translators that convert the various formats/protocols to a common format that can be used by one or more executor modules of a set of executor modules to cause execution of one or more corresponding virtual device(s). In an example embodiment, there are multiple executor modules. The executor modules are typically command specific; however, a single command can be handled by multiple executor modules.
In other various aspects of one or more of the configurations previously described previously, a virtual device acts like a device driver to translate common format commands to control signals for driving a particular type of physical device to a desired state. The virtual device also collects status information from the physical device for transfer to the network cloud as part of a device report. The virtual device(s) can communicate with the corresponding physical devices via the data communications interface (e.g., the CAN bus, Web service, ModBus, or equivalent). Each virtual device can execute other virtual devices. As a result, the set of virtual devices can be executed in a hierarchical fashion.
In certain aspects, a Sunverge Site Energy Cloud software platform can include one or more programs, which are installable and configurable on the platform. The programs can each implement a mode or policy in the set of virtual devices. Programs interact directly with the virtual devices. Each program can cause one or more corresponding virtual device(s) to implement the corresponding mode. The programs are each assigned a unique priority relative to other programs. An action by a lower priority program can be pre-empted by a higher priority program. One or more programs are scheduled for execution in priority order.
Each program associated with a Sunverge Site Energy Cloud software platform can be assigned to a specified portion of a resource, such as a battery. For example, a program (e.g., Program A) can be assigned to a 40% portion of a battery. Given this assignment, the actions of other programs cannot affect the 40% of the battery assigned to Program A. If a resource is not fully allocated (e.g., 40% is assigned to Program A and 10% is assigned to Program B), any program can use the unallocated capacity of the resource. As a result, if Program A is assigned 40% of the battery and Program B is assigned 10% of the battery, Program A can affect 90% of the battery (e.g., 40% assigned to Program A plus the unassigned 50%), Program B can affect 60% of the battery (e.g., 10% assigned to Program B plus the unassigned 50%), and other programs can only affect the unassigned 50% of the battery. Moreover, a particular embodiment is further configured to enable assignment or reservation of the individual capacities of a resource. For example, a particular resource, such as a battery, may have a charge capacity and a discharge capacity. An example embodiment can be configured to enable a particular program, such as Program A, to reserve a portion (e.g., 40%) of the discharge capacity of the resource, but separately none (or some, or all) of the charge capacity of the resource. This feature of the example embodiment allows for a program to reserve a portion of the discharge capacity of a resource, while allowing other programs to separately reserve a portion of the charge capacity of the resource. The interaction between programs with resource capacity reservations is implemented in the same manner as the interaction between programs with resource reservations as described above. The partial resource and resource capacity allocation feature of an example embodiment enables the scope of program operation to be configurable and controllable.
Each program of the Sunverge Site Energy Cloud software platform can also be associated with a particular external entity, or a combination thereof. For example, a program can be associated with a consumer, a site owner, a unit operator, a utility, a component supplier, or other external entity or a combination thereof. As a result, the set of programs on the platform, and their collective operational activity, can be grouped by the associated external entities.
Each program of the Sunverge Site Energy Cloud software platform can implement a mode or policy in the set of virtual devices using any of a variety of available program models. For example, one or more available program models can include: an override process, a sequence, a timeline, or a schedule. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many other program models can be provided and used. In the example embodiment, the override process sends control commands to the corresponding set of virtual devices for commanding the virtual devices to transition immediately to the specified state. The sequence process initiates a serial set of actions based on a relative time from an initial starting point in time. The set of actions include commanding the virtual devices to transition to specified states. The timeline process initiates a set of actions based on a clock, calendar time. The schedule process can include a rules engine for executing a set of conditional actions based on the state of the platform and the virtual devices at the time of execution. Each program can obtain information on the configuration and actions of other programs on the platform. As a result, overlapping, duplicative, or conflicting actions can be avoided.
In other aspects, each virtual device can report state parameters, operational history, errors, configuration parameters, and the like to a server via the platform and a network cloud. The data from each virtual device can be aggregated in a device report delivered or requested periodically (e.g., every five mins.) from an edge gateway platform. The server can include a user interface (UI) to interact with users who can manipulate the configuration of virtual devices via the user interface. The server can also include an application programming interface (API) server to receive API requests from other network systems. The commands received from the UI or the API can be queued in a server command queue. The server delivers commands to the edge gateway platform via the command queue described above. The server also updates the data shown via the UI based on current data received from the edge gateway platform in the device reports.
By virtue of the processing power made available at the edge gateway, the embodiments disclosed herein provide a system that can move a high degree of the system intelligence and decision-making to the remote sites where the energy is being used and generated. As a result, the various embodiments can rely less on a central control architecture and can react more quickly and efficiently to real-time changes and events at the remote site.
In certain aspects, an energy ecosystem represents a cloud-services delivery model for energy. The ecosystem in which the example embodiments are implemented includes a site including a set of site resources. The site can correspond to a residential or commercial location at which various site loads are provided. Site loads correspond to various devices or systems at the site that consume or store electrical energy at various levels. For example, site loads can correspond to electrical heating devices, air conditioners, computing or communications equipment that consumes electrical energy, washers/dryers, pool filtering equipment, electrical vehicle chargers, manufacturing equipment, and other electrical system loads at a particular site. The site resources also include a conventional smart meter that tracks and wirelessly transmits electrical energy usage information to a utility having various utility resources. A conventional smart meter is typically an electrical meter that records consumption of electric energy in intervals of an hour or less and communicates that information at least daily back to the utility for monitoring and billing purposes. Smart meters enable two-way communication between the meter and the central system at the utility. Such two-way communication can be enabled by an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) that differs from traditional automatic meter reading (AMR) in that it enables two-way communications with the meter. One utility resource is an AMI head end that receives and processes the electrical energy usage information received from the smart meter at the site. Another utility resource is a demand/response management system (DRMS) that can provide a centralized mechanism for managing the demand and supply of electrical energy to a community of sites, such as the site with site resources.
The SIS site integration system/Distributed Energy Resource Energy Storage (DER-ES) Apparatus is designed in such a way as to be located outside of a residence or commercial structure and to be of a form factor that coincides with electric and gas utility working space (siting) requirements. In some embodiments, the utility working space is a compact footprint of less than 42 inches in depth when the SIS site integration system/Distributed Energy Resource Energy Storage (DER-ES) Apparatus door is open, and less than 18 inches in depth when the door is closed. Furthermore, in some further embodiments the enclosure is no wider than 24 inches. Additionally, in other embodiments, multiple enclosures being 18 inches deep and 24 inches wide can be mechanically, electrically and digitally coupled together. The enclosure door, when in the open position, is made to be removable without the necessity of any tools. In other aspects, a tamper-resistant design is additionally provided to restrict non-authorized personnel from opening the enclosure. In other aspects, the SIS site integration system/Distributed Energy Resource Energy Storage (DER-ES) Apparatus provides means of convection and forced cooling via the strategic placement of covered/louvered vents on the rear of the enclosure in one aspect or forced air cooling methods, such as fans, in other designs. In some aspects, the vent locations are designed to coincide with the forced air exhaust ports on the inverter/converter and charge controller. The inverter/converter (or hybrid inverter/converter) has the capability of converting DC to AC and AC to DC). The strategic placement and air tunneling and channeling provided by the isolation breaker panel, inverter mounting offset from the back of the enclosure and the enclosure, inverter, and converter vertical airflow channels provide additional exothermic cooling of the electronic and energy storage equipment. In other aspects, the enclosure may be fan cooled.
In another configuration, the SIS site integration system/Distributed Energy Resource Energy Storage (DER-ES) Apparatus is free-standing. The SIS site integration system/Distributed Energy Resource Energy Storage (DER-ES) Apparatus is not required to be fastened to the side (vertical plane) of the residential or commercial structure. In some embodiments, the enclosure additionally provides a connection ambidextrous conductor termination point which can be located on either side of the enclosure via watertight escutcheon plates containing electrical connections to renewable energy generation sources, including but not limited to photovoltaic solar panel power sources, wind turbines and utility electricity provided by the grid or the Sunverge Cloud renewable energy pooled resources, the Sunverge Cloud Controller, one or more customer loads, and one or more electric vehicle charging stations. The SIS site integration system/Distributed Energy Resource Energy Storage (DER-ES) Apparatus top is uniquely sloped to prevent the accumulation of water or other liquids thereby extending the enclosure life and facilitating cooling. In other aspects, the enclosure includes a weather resistant design which prevents liquids and dust from entering the enclosure. In certain aspects the enclosure may include a unique enclosure rain gutter interface with a weather-stripping material, designed such that the contact surface area between the weather strip material and the rain gutter is minimal that helps to prevent weather strip failure caused by adhesion to the mating surface.
The SIS site integration system/Distributed Energy Resource Energy Storage (DER-ES) Apparatus includes a separate battery enclosure housed within the SIS site integration system/Distributed Energy Resource Energy Storage (DER-ES) Apparatus which utilizes security fastening means to prevent removal of the battery enclosure from non-authorized personnel. The battery enclosure is designed so that most battery chemistry and energy storage means can be accommodated. Energy storage means such as flooded lead-acid, AGM lead-acid, Lithium ion chemistries, pure proton, and nickel cadmium chemistry batteries and storage means can be accommodated and additionally contained in the fire resistant explosion protective energy storage assembly sub-enclosure. In certain aspects, the SIS site integration system/Distributed Energy Resource Energy Storage (DER-ES) Apparatus energy storage enclosure provides means for connecting the battery to the inverter via a bus bulkhead means which provides electrical insulation means to isolate the high current bus from personnel. In other aspects, the battery sub-enclosure further provides a battery management intelligent electronics module and telemetry equipment while providing means to isolate battery disconnecting switches and associated conductors. In other various aspects, the battery sub-enclosure additionally includes communications connection bulkhead means allowing a battery management system to communicate to the site data processing gateway, inverter and charge controller. The battery sub-enclosure also provides means for cross ventilation and convection cooling of the battery. In one aspect, the cooling means is venting grid ports. In other aspects, cooling means may be provided by louvers or fans. In certain aspects, the battery enclosure may be removed via a removal dolly tool that interacts with louvers integrated into the battery enclosure to install or remove the battery enclosure as needed.
The SIS SITE Integration System/Distributed Energy Resource Energy Storage (DER-ES) Apparatus and isolation switch panel board is uniquely designed to provide a common integration point for the inverter, utility grid, photovoltaic power, battery isolation switches and electric overload breaker conductors, charge controller and communications data processing gateway as a single subassembly which facilitates ease of assembly while utilizing solid copper bus to reduce space requirements need for flexible, insulated conductors. The isolation switch panel board additionally protects and inhibits authorized personnel from contacting electrically energized components.
The SIS Site Integration System/Distributed Energy Resource Energy Storage (DER-ES) Apparatus appliance provides a multiprotocol data processing communication gateway device which receives and logs a plurality of telemetry data from the intelligent battery management system, intelligent charge controller, intelligent inverter/converter, and Home Are Network (HAN) appliances and electrical loads and corresponds locally stored control algorithms and remotely received control parameters to the individual or aggregated SIS Site Integration System/Distributed Energy Resource Energy Storage (DER-ES) Apparatus devices.
The inverter/converter is installed into the SIS site integration system/Distributed Energy Resource Energy Storage (DER-ES) Apparatus by means of pre-inserted studs and a specially design mounting rail attached to the SIS site integration system/Distributed Energy Resource Energy Storage (DER-ES) Apparatus which allows the inverter to be easily assembled or removed as may be required for repairs. The Sis Site Integration System/Distributed Energy Resource Energy Storage (DER-ES) Apparatus appliance is designed to allow additional battery modules and or SIS Site Integration System/Distributed Energy Resource Energy Storage (DER-ES) Apparatus devices to be connected in series or in parallel.
The initial focus on this technology is directed towards systems, methods, and devices for integrating distributed energy sources, energy storage, and balance of system components into a single integrated apparatus with general overall systems and control for monitoring, measuring, and conserving power generated on the premise, the resale of power to a utility, power generated from distributed energy storage (e.g., batteries such as flooded lead-acid, AGM lead-acid, Lithium ion chemistries, sodium-sulfur, sodium/nickel-chloride, pure proton, nickel metal hydride, and nickel cadmium chemistry batteries, capacitors and flywheels) and distributed energy sources (e.g., solar panels or wind or water-based systems). Moreover, the device is minimally invasive, modular, and retains power-generating capacity, which is combined with load management and energy storage to provide energy at or near the point of consumption. In some aspects, the single integrated apparatus may be in a common enclosure designed to be located in a utility working space. In other aspects, the integrated apparatus may include multiple enclosures and communications means for one or more remote network nodes.
In another aspect, a local data processing gateway device is located inside the cabinet and is configured to monitor and control the processes and measurements conducted by the power storage and supply device in either a local or remote mode configuration and can be aggregated by a third party (e.g., independent service operator, etc.) or utility for purposes of dispatching and controlling distributed power or stored energy. Further, the local data processing gateway uses open standard communication methods at the transport, application, and object levels (e.g., Internet, GPRS, AMI Network, Web Services, XML-Based, DNP3, IEC 61850) for a utility, aggregator, or independent service operator to broadcast to a residence or commercial building site the processes and measurements relating to the control, management, and conservation of power generated on the premise, the resale of power to a utility, power generated from energy storage (e.g., batteries such as flooded lead-acid, AGM lead-acid, Lithium ion chemistries, sodium-sulfur, sodium/nickel-chloride, pure proton, nickel metal hydride, and nickel cadmium chemistry batteries, capacitors and flywheels), and distributed energy sources (e.g., solar panels or wind or water-based systems). For the communications within a residence or commercial site, the local data processing gateway can further aggregate, monitor and control the processes and measurements associated with devices within the home using open standard communication methods at the transport, application and object levels (e.g., ZigBee, HomePlug, Intranet, Web Services, XML-Based, SEP, MMS, and IEC 61850) for user process, measurement, control, and conservation of on premise power generated, the resale of power to a utility, power generated from energy storage (e.g., batteries such as flooded lead-acid, AGM lead-acid, Lithium ion chemistries, sodium-sulfur, sodium/nickel-chloride, pure proton, nickel metal hydride, and nickel cadmium chemistry batteries, capacitors and flywheels), distributed energy sources (e.g., solar panels or wind or water-based systems), and devices capable of energy management (HVAC Thermostats, water heaters, pool pumps, etc.). In other aspects, the local gateway controller may communicate with an edge gateway controller. In other various aspects, the local gateway controller may be networked with one or more other gateway controllers, one or more edge gateway controllers, and one or more energy resources in a virtual energy pool.
In another configuration, a solar integrated energy management apparatus is made of a power storage supply apparatus enclosure, a power storage and supply device coupled to an electromechanical isolation breaker that is integrated to one or more alternate energy sources and one or more energy storage modules, one or more inverters coupled to a charge controller, a charge controller coupled to one or more inverters and to one or more energy storage modules, a local data processing gateway coupled to the charge controller, and one or more energy storage modules coupled to an energy storage module storage enclosure containing a battery management system and electrical bus that is connected to one or more battery cable terminals to a main bus and in which the main bus is coupled to the charge controller.
In another arrangement, an integrated energy management apparatus includes a power storage and supply device coupled to an electromechanical isolation breaker that is integrated to one or more alternate energy sources and one or more energy storage modules and that the electromechanical isolation breaker is capable of communicating with one or more alternate energy sources; one or more inverters coupled to a charge controller; a charge controller coupled to the one or more inverters and to one or more energy storage modules; a local data processing gateway coupled to the charge controller; one or more energy storage modules coupled to an energy storage module storage enclosure containing a battery management system and electrical bus where the electrical bus is connected to one or more battery cable terminals to a main bus coupled to the charge controller; a consumer web portal; an Internet user interface including an application programming interface coupled to a database repository, a display, and a utility enterprise database application; and an energy area network that couples the Internet user interface and utility enterprise database application to one or more user devices and appliances.
In another aspect, an Intelligent Energy Storage Module Management System includes a tamper resistant energy storage enclosure housed within an intelligent energy storage module management enclosure with security fastening means, in which the tamper resistant energy storage enclosure includes means for connecting one or more energy storage devices to a hybrid inverter/converter via a solid copper bus bulkhead apparatus which further includes an electrically insulated escutcheon means and associated cover to isolate a high current bus conductor from service personnel; a means to house one or more energy storage module management intelligent electronics and telemetry equipment within the intelligent energy storage module management enclosure while simultaneously isolating one or more energy storage disconnecting switches and associated conductors; a communications connection bulkhead means housed within the intelligent energy storage module management enclosure that allows the Intelligent Energy Storage Module Management System to communicate to a data processing gateway, hybrid inverter/converter and charge controller; one or more venting grid ports located on the intelligent energy storage module management enclosure adjacent to one or more energy storage modules, in which the one or more venting grid ports cross ventilate and convection cool one or more of the one or more energy storage modules; one or more components of the energy storage module management intelligent electronics and telemetry equipment communicably coupled to a multiprotocol data processing communication gateway device to provide telemetry data to implement one or more processes to integrate with an Energy Area Network (EAN); and the Energy Area Network (EAN) communicably coupled to one or more appliances and electrical loads to aggregate locally stored control algorithms and remotely received control parameters.
In another aspect, a method for monitoring energy consumption, comprises steps for providing one or more hybrid inverter/converters, wherein the one or more hybrid inverter/converters are communicably coupled to one or more charge controllers and wherein the one or more hybrid inverter/converters are further electronically coupled to an electrical bus; providing one or more data processing gateways, wherein the one or more data processing gateways are communicably coupled to one or more charge controllers and to one or more intelligent battery management systems; providing one or more charge controllers; providing one or more intelligent battery management systems coupled to one or more energy management devices; providing one or more energy management devices in a compact footprint; associating an energy management device with a consumer unit, said energy management device having a local data processing gateway device communicably coupled to the energy management device; configuring said local data processing gateway to monitor and control processes and measurements conducted by said energy management device; receiving and logging a plurality of telemetry data from one or more intelligent battery management systems; receiving and logging a plurality of telemetry data from one or more intelligent inverter/converters; receiving and logging a plurality of telemetry data from one or more energy storage modules; receiving and logging a plurality of telemetry data from a charge controller; and viewing one or more telemetry data by accessing a consumer web portal.
In another aspect, a method for providing wholesale energy services, comprises steps for providing one or more solar integrated energy management apparatus; retrieving telemetry data from one or more energy storage modules to calculate an amount of available stored energy; applying the amount of available stored energy to offset a need to purchase and install one or more new electricity generating means; using the amount of available stored energy to reduce generation marginal cost, wherein said generation marginal cost comprises a cost of fuel and a cost for variable maintenance; using the amount of available stored energy to reduce generation capacity cost, wherein said generation capacity cost comprises one or more costs incurred in increasing generation capacity; using the amount of available stored energy to provide one or more rapid response energy storage modules; wherein the rapid response energy storage modules can provide regulation of the amount of available stored energy while charging and while discharging; using the amount of available stored energy to provide one or more electric supply reserve capacities, wherein the one or more electric supply reserve capacities reduce the need and cost for one or more other electric reserves; using the amount of available stored energy to reduce one or more users' electricity time-of-use (TOU) costs; using the amount of available stored energy to reduce one or more users' electricity real-time-price (RTP) energy costs; using the amount of available stored energy to reduce one or more end users' power draw on one or more utilities during times when electricity use is high; and reducing one or more demand charges from one or more utilities by storing energy in one or more energy storage modules at one or more times when low or no demand charges apply. In certain aspects, a load shaping service may include steps to include load shaping schedule requests from one or more external applications. In other aspects, the method for wholesale energy services may include one or more steps for virtual power plant orchestration, load shaping services and steps for accepting emergency, on-demand load control requests. In other aspects, the method for providing wholesale energy services may include steps wherein providing a virtual power plant orchestration load shaping service corresponds to one or more event awareness services in an energy resources cloud. In other aspects, the method may include steps wherein providing the virtual power plant orchestration includes iterative scheduling of one or more distributed demand sources that correspond to one or more wholesale energy services in a user partitioned virtual energy resources cloud.
In another configuration, a computer readable medium for peak shaving, comprises program code for interfacing with one or more Solar Energy Grid Integrated Systems with Energy Storage, the one or more Solar Energy Grid Integrated Systems with Energy Storage comprising one or more hybrid inverter/converters, one or more data processing gateways, one or more charge controllers, one or more intelligent battery management systems, and one or more energy management devices in a compact footprint; program code for connecting an energy management system with integrated alternate energy source and energy module storage to a utility grid; program code for monitoring energy demand on said utility grid; program code for calculating an amount of maximum energy that said energy grid can deliver; program code for determining a threshold energy demand on the grid, wherein said threshold energy demand begins to stress one or more components of said utility grid; program code for identifying one or more time periods when the threshold energy demand is met, whereupon identification said energy management system with integrated alternate energy source and energy module storage sends power generated by one or more alternate energy sources to the utility grid; and program code for sending energy to the utility grid until said energy demand falls below said threshold energy demand.
In another arrangement, a site integration system apparatus for energy management services comprises a tamper resistant enclosure housing one or more devices for performing localized and remote control energy management, one or more energy storage modules in one or more intelligent storage appliances for storing and dispatching locally generated renewable energy, one or more distributed energy management systems to control one or more user site loads and to orchestrate one or more distributed resources to simultaneously monitor user site and grid requirements, one or more intelligent edge gateway controllers aggregating the site and grid requirements of the one or more distributed resources, an energy cloud software platform communicating with the one or more intelligent edge gateway controllers to send and receive the site and grid requirements of the one or more distributed resources, one or more predictive analytic software modules to improve performance of the one or more distributed resources, one or more intelligent battery charge controller providing multi-point solar panel tracking ability, an isolation switch panel board, one or more termination points for solar array energy input and electric utility interconnection, one or more virtual power plant modules to provide a best mix selection from demand and supply data simultaneously communicated by the grid and user site, and one or more user interfaces to provide a local user grid access interface and a consumer portal.
In one arrangement, a method for providing home energy management, comprises steps for providing one or more solar integrated energy management apparatus; using a plurality of telemetry data from one or more energy storage modules to calculate an amount of available stored energy; making one or more electric energy buy-low/sell-high transactions, wherein energy from a utility is purchased at a low price and stored in said one or more energy storage modules and wherein the available stored energy is sold back to the utility at a price higher than the low price; increasing the amount of available stored energy via one or more renewable energy sources; using an amount of available stored energy provided by one or more renewable energy sources at a later time when the cost of energy sold by one or more utilities is more expensive than the cost of said available stored energy provided by one or more renewable energy sources; using the amount of available stored energy to improve electric service reliability associated with one or more power outages such that one or more end users have reduced losses associated with the one or more power outages; and using the amount of available stored energy to reduce financial losses associated with one or more power anomalies.
In another arrangement, a method for providing home backup, comprising steps for providing one or more solar integrated energy management apparatus; using a plurality of telemetry data from one or more energy storage modules to calculate an amount of available stored energy; making one or more electric energy buy-low/sell-high transactions, wherein energy from a utility is purchased at a low price and stored in said one or more energy storage modules and wherein the available stored energy is sold back to the utility at a price higher than the low price; using the amount of available stored energy to improve electric service reliability associated with one or more power outages such that one or more end users have reduced losses associated with the one or more power outages; and using the amount of available stored energy to reduce financial losses associated with one or more power anomalies.
In another configuration, a system for monitoring energy consumption, comprises one or more hybrid inverter/converters; one or more data processing gateways; one or more charge controllers; one or more intelligent battery management systems; one or more energy management devices in a compact footprint; one or more memories for storing data; one or more processors capable of executing processor readable code; one or more communications means; one or more databases; one or more query processing modules; one or more aggregation engines; one or more execution engines; one or more reference generating modules; one or more user interfaces; and one or more algorithm rules.
In another arrangement, a computer implemented method including computer usable readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therein for causing a computer system to perform a method of monitoring energy consumption, comprises steps for interfacing, by the computer system, with one or more Solar Energy Grid Integrated Systems with Energy Storage, the one or more Solar Energy Grid Integrated Systems with Energy Storage comprising one or more hybrid inverter/converters, one or more data processing gateways, one or more charge controllers, one or more intelligent battery management systems, and one or more energy management devices in a compact footprint; associating an energy management device with a consumer unit, said energy management device having a local data processing gateway device communicably coupled thereto; configuring said local data processing gateway to monitor and control processes and measurements conducted by said energy management device; receiving and logging a plurality of telemetry data from one or more intelligent battery management systems; receiving and logging a plurality of telemetry data from one or more intelligent inverter/converters; receiving and logging a plurality of telemetry data from one or more energy storage modules; receiving and logging a plurality of telemetry data from a charge controller; and viewing the plurality of telemetry data by accessing a consumer web portal.
In another configuration, a computer implemented apparatus for providing a method for monitoring energy consumption, is an apparatus that comprises a processor; an input device coupled to said processor; a memory coupled to said processor; an output device; and an execution engine including a method for monitoring energy consumption to perform steps for interfacing with one or more Solar Energy Grid Integrated Systems with Energy Storage, the one or more Solar Energy Grid Integrated Systems with Energy Storage comprising one or more hybrid inverter/converters, one or more data processing gateways, one or more charge controllers, one or more intelligent battery management systems, and one or more energy management devices in a compact footprint; associating an energy management device with a consumer unit, said energy management device having a local data processing gateway device communicably coupled thereto; configuring said local data processing gateway to monitor and control processes and measurements conducted by said energy management device; receiving and logging a plurality of telemetry data from one or more intelligent battery management systems; receiving and logging a plurality of telemetry data from one or more intelligent inverter/converters; receiving and logging a plurality of telemetry data from one or more energy storage modules; receiving and logging a plurality of telemetry data from a charge controller; and viewing the plurality of telemetry data by accessing a consumer web portal.
In another aspect, a computer readable medium for monitoring energy consumption, comprises program code for interfacing with one or more Solar Energy Grid Integrated Systems with Energy Storage, the one or more Solar Energy Grid Integrated Systems with Energy Storage comprising one or more hybrid inverter/converters, one or more data processing gateways, one or more charge controllers, one or more intelligent battery management systems, and one or more energy management devices in a compact footprint; program code for associating an energy management device with a consumer unit, said energy management device having a local data processing gateway device communicably coupled thereto; program code for configuring said local data processing gateway to monitor and control processes and measurements conducted by said energy management device; program code for receiving and logging a plurality of telemetry data from one or more intelligent battery management systems; program code for receiving and logging a plurality of telemetry data from one or more intelligent inverter/converters; program code for receiving and logging a plurality of telemetry data from one or more energy storage modules; program code for receiving and logging a plurality of telemetry data from a charge controller; and program code for viewing the plurality of telemetry data by accessing a consumer web portal.
In another aspect, a computer implemented method including computer-usable readable storage medium having computer-readable program code embodied therein for causing a computer system to perform a method of storing excess energy generated in an energy management device in an application platform for performing steps for securing one or more energy storage modules in an energy storage module enclosure, said energy storage module enclosure coupled to the inside of a Solar Energy Grid Integrated System with Energy Storage (SEGIS-ESTM) Appliance, wherein said Solar Energy Grid Integrated System with Energy Storage comprises one or more hybrid inverter/converters, one or more data processing gateways, one or more charge controllers, one or more intelligent battery management systems, and one or more energy management devices in a compact footprint; connecting said one or more energy storage modules to a SEGIS-ESTM isolation switch panel board, wherein said SEGIS-ESTM isolation switch panel board provides a common integration point for components coupled to said SEGIS-ESTM appliance; configuring, by the computer system, a local data processing gateway to monitor and control processes and measurements conducted by said energy management device; monitoring, by the computer system, the amount of power generated by one or more distributed energy sources; monitoring, by the computer system, the rate of power generated by the one or more distributed energy sources; controlling, by the computer system, the rate of power stored in said one or more energy storage modules; controlling, by the computer system, the amount of power stored in said one or more energy storage modules; monitoring, by the computer system, the health of one or more energy storage modules; and operating, by the computer system, one or more devices capable of energy management.
In another arrangement, a method for selling energy back to a utility power grid, comprises steps for providing one or more hybrid inverter/converters; providing one or more data processing gateways; providing one or more charge controllers; providing one or more intelligent battery management systems; providing one or more energy management devices in a compact footprint; defining price points of power obtained from a utility power grid at which a user will discharge energy stored in an energy storage module; defining a percentage of maximum capacity of stored energy in one or more energy storage modules that may be discharged in a single cycle; correlating said price points of power with said percentage of maximum capacity; configuring said price points and said percentage of maximum capacity into one or more sets of rules; calculating the amount of available energy storage capacity based upon the current or expected price of power; and implementing the one or more set of rules.
In another arrangement, a computer readable medium for selling energy back to a utility power grid, comprises program code for interfacing with one or more Solar Energy Grid Integrated Systems with Energy Storage, the one or more Solar Energy Grid Integrated Systems with Energy Storage comprising one or more hybrid inverter/converters, one or more data processing gateways, one or more charge controllers, one or more intelligent battery management systems, and one or more energy management devices in a compact footprint; program code for processing the one or more set of rules on an Intelligent Energy Storage Module Management System; program code for managing the one or more set of rules via a multiprotocol data processing communication gateway device communicably coupled to the Energy Storage Module Management System; program code for monitoring the one or more set of rules via a multiprotocol data processing communication gateway device communicably coupled to the Energy Storage Module Management System; and program code for modifying the one or more set of rules via a multiprotocol data processing communication gateway device communicably coupled to the Energy Storage Module Management System, said multiprotocol data processing communication gateway device further communicably coupled to a consumer web portal.
In another configuration, a system for selling energy back to a utility power grid, comprises one or more hybrid inverter/converters coupled to an energy storage management system and charge controller module via a data processing gateway such that the data processing gateway implements one or more rule sets for selling energy back to a utility power grid to maximize the selling price of said energy; one or more data processing gateways receiving signals from the energy storage management system and charge controller and sending instructions via processor readable code to implement one or more algorithms; one or more charge controllers electrically coupled to the energy management storage management system to determine requirements for charging and discharging; one or more intelligent battery management systems; one or more energy management devices in a compact footprint not to exceed 18″ in depth in some embodiments but deeper in other configurations; one or more memories for storing data; one or more processors capable of executing processor readable code; one or more communications means; one or more databases; one or more query processing modules; one or more aggregation engines; one or more execution engines; one or more reference generating modules; one or more user interfaces; and one or more algorithm rules.
In yet a further arrangement, a computer implemented method including computer usable readable storage medium having computer readable program code for causing a computer system to perform a method of selling energy back to a utility power grid by sending instructions to implement steps including interfacing, by the computer system, with one or more Solar Energy Grid Integrated Systems with Energy Storage, the one or more Solar Energy Grid Integrated Systems with Energy Storage comprising one or more hybrid inverter/converters, one or more data processing gateways, one or more charge controllers, one or more intelligent battery management systems, and one or more energy management devices in a compact footprint; defining, by the computer system, price points of power obtained from a utility power grid at which a user will discharge energy stored in an energy storage module; defining, by the computer system, a percentage of maximum capacity of stored energy in one or more energy storage modules that may be discharged in a single cycle; correlating, by the computer system, said price points of power with said percentage of maximum capacity; configuring, by the computer system, said price points and said percentage of maximum capacity into one or more sets of rules; and implementing, by the computer system, the one or more set of rules.
In a further configuration, a computer implemented apparatus for selling energy back to a utility power grid, is an apparatus that comprises a processor; an input device coupled to said processor; a memory coupled to said processor; an output device; and an execution engine including a method for peak shaving to implement steps for interfacing with one or more Solar Energy Grid Integrated Systems with Energy Storage, the one or more Solar Energy Grid Integrated Systems with Energy Storage comprising one or more hybrid inverter/converters, one or more data processing gateways, one or more charge controllers, one or more intelligent battery management systems, and one or more energy management devices in a compact footprint; defining price points of power obtained from a utility power grid at which a user will discharge energy stored in an energy storage module; defining a percentage of maximum capacity of stored energy in one or more energy storage modules that may be discharged in a single cycle; correlating said price points of power with said percentage of maximum capacity; configuring said price points and said percentage of maximum capacity into one or more sets of rules; and implementing the one or more set of rules.
In another arrangement, a method of peak shaving, comprises providing one or more hybrid inverter/converters; providing one or more data processing gateways; providing one or more charge controllers; providing one or more intelligent battery management systems; providing one or more energy management devices in a compact footprint; connecting an energy management system with one or more integrated alternate energy sources and one or more energy modules storage to a utility grid; monitoring energy demand on said utility grid; calculating an amount of maximum energy that said energy grid can deliver; determining a threshold energy demand on the grid, wherein said threshold energy demand begins to stress one or more components of said utility grid; identifying one or more time periods when the threshold energy demand is met, whereupon identification said energy management system with integrated alternate energy source and energy module storage sends power generated by one or more alternate energy sources to the utility grid; and sending energy to the utility grid until said energy demand falls below said threshold energy demand.
In another configuration, a system for peak shaving, comprises one or more hybrid inverter/converters; one or more data processing gateways; one or more charge controllers; one or more intelligent battery management systems; one or more energy management devices in a compact footprint; one or more memories for storing data; one or more processors capable of executing processor readable code; one or more communications means; one or more databases; one or more query processing modules; one or more aggregation engines; one or more execution engines; one or more reference generating modules; one or more user interfaces; and one or more algorithm rules.
In another arrangement, a computer implemented method including computer usable readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therein for causing a computer system to perform a method of peak shaving, comprises interfacing, by the computer system, with one or more Solar Energy Grid Integrated Systems with Energy Storage, the one or more Solar Energy Grid Integrated Systems with Energy Storage comprising one or more hybrid inverter/converters, one or more data processing gateways, one or more charge controllers, one or more intelligent battery management systems, and one or more energy management devices in a compact footprint; defining, by the computer system, price points of power obtained from a utility power grid at which a user will discharge energy stored in an energy storage module; defining, by the computer system, a percentage of maximum capacity of stored energy in one or more energy storage modules that may be discharged in a single cycle; correlating, by the computer system, said price points of power with said percentage of maximum capacity; configuring, by the computer system, said price points and said percentage of maximum capacity into one or more sets of rules; and implementing, by the computer system, the one or more sets of rules or algorithms.
In another aspect, a computer implemented apparatus for providing a method for peak shaving, comprises a processor; an input device coupled to said processor; a memory coupled to said processor; an output device; and an execution engine including steps for implementing a method for peak shaving including interfacing with one or more Solar Energy Grid Integrated Systems with Energy Storage, the one or more Solar Energy Grid Integrated Systems with Energy Storage comprising one or more hybrid inverter/converters, one or more data processing gateways, one or more charge controllers, one or more intelligent battery management systems, and one or more energy management devices in a compact footprint; defining price points of power obtained from a utility power grid at which a user will discharge energy stored in an energy storage module; defining a percentage of maximum capacity of stored energy in one or more energy storage modules that may be discharged in a single cycle; correlating said price points of power with said percentage of maximum capacity; configuring said price points and said percentage of maximum capacity into one or more sets of rules; and implementing the one or more set of rules
In another aspect, a computer readable medium for peak shaving, comprises program code for interfacing with one or more Solar Energy Grid Integrated Systems with Energy Storage, the one or more Solar Energy Grid Integrated Systems with Energy Storage comprising one or more hybrid inverter/converters, one or more data processing gateways, one or more charge controllers, one or more intelligent battery management systems, and one or more energy management devices in a compact footprint; program code for connecting an energy management system with integrated alternate energy source and energy module storage to a utility grid; program code for monitoring energy demand on said utility grid; program code for calculating an amount of maximum energy that said energy grid can deliver; program code for determining a threshold energy demand on the grid, wherein said threshold energy demand begins to stress one or more components of said utility grid; program code for identifying one or more time periods when the threshold energy demand is met, whereupon identification said energy management system with integrated alternate energy source and energy module storage sends power generated by one or more alternate energy sources to the utility grid; and program code for sending energy to the utility grid until said energy demand falls below said threshold energy demand.
The various embodiments previously disclosed provide general solutions for cost-effective grid-scale energy storage, generation, and management. The various embodiments combine batteries, power electronics, and generation into a highly-optimized form factor that is remotely managed and controlled by a software-as-a-service (SAAS) platform. The software platform of an example embodiment aggregates systems together in a real-time network for the delivery of both energy and information. The resulting “energy cloud” pools and dynamically scales energy resources across the grid upon demand. Multiple applications can be delivered to multiple customer segments from this single platform. Generation and storage are controlled by a value-optimizing process that determines when and where energy should be delivered. Systems can be deployed anywhere on the grid where needed. Each system is sized according to the specific needs of the customer and the site, minimizing component and installation costs. The services provided by the various embodiments deliver value by enabling utilities, energy consumers, and third parties to buy and sell energy, each according to their unique economic interest.
However, the previous aspects of site integration systems and Sunverge Site Energy Cloud software as a service do not deliver specific applications related to offset demand monitoring, methods of virtual power plant orchestration, load shaping services, methods of reducing demand on an aggregated level, methods of prioritizing programs related to site integration systems and a virtual energy pool, energy cloud controllers in communication with networked site integration systems, methods to orchestrate charge and discharge plans of electric vehicles and distributed energy resources that include at least a portion of the resources that are locally generated and/or locally stored at a user site location.